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Kering Opens Entries for 2026 Sustainability-Focused Award
The “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry” returns for its second year with “Second Chance, First Choice” as its theme.
The award aims to foster sustainability in the industry. The winner in the student designer category will receive an internship with Kering’s jewelry brands, while the winner in the startups category will be awarded mentorship with Poli.Design at Politecnico di Milano.
Paris—Kering’s sustainability-focused award, in partnership with the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and Poli.Design at Politecnico di Milano, has returned for its second edition.
The “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry” debuted last year at JCK Las Vegas as an extension of its “Generation Award” that launched in 2018 for the fashion sector.
The award seeks to promote sustainability and innovation in the jewelry sector, focusing on efforts by young designers and startups.
“In today’s world, the jewelry we produce must reflect society’s concern for environmental and social awareness, enhanced through the innovative use of new technologies and knowledge in a circular economy. The Kering Generation x Jewelry award celebrates this movement,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO.
The theme of the second edition is the same as the first edition, “Second Chance, First Choice.”
Kering said the goal of the theme is to reduce the environmental impact of the jewelry industry in terms of products, processes, services, and technology through innovative solutions across new innovative materials, artificial intelligence, packaging, and retail-focused technologies.
Related stories will be right here …
The “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry” debuted last year at JCK Las Vegas as an extension of its “Generation Award” that launched in 2018 for the fashion sector.
The award seeks to promote sustainability and innovation in the jewelry sector, focusing on efforts by young designers and startups.
“In today’s world, the jewelry we produce must reflect society’s concern for environmental and social awareness, enhanced through the innovative use of new technologies and knowledge in a circular economy. The Kering Generation x Jewelry award celebrates this movement,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO.
The theme of the second edition is the same as the first edition, “Second Chance, First Choice.”
Kering said the goal of the theme is to reduce the environmental impact of the jewelry industry in terms of products, processes, services, and technology through innovative solutions across new innovative materials, artificial intelligence, packaging, and retail-focused technologies.
Kering and its jewelry brands—Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo, and Qeelin—will work with 10 universities, selected by Poli.Design at Politecnico di Milano—that offer courses on jewelry and sustainability for the contest.
The students will be mentored by the professors and tasked with transforming discarded materials into valuable pieces, while the startups will use an existing product, technology, or services in the jewelry sector that aligns with the contest’s theme.
“This approach aims to elevate the concept of sustainability, transcending the value of materials,” said Kering.
“By engaging young creatives from leading international academic institutions and emerging entrepreneurial ventures, the initiative positions itself as a space for collaboration and experimentation, dedicated to fostering new ideas and responsible approaches for the future,” added Alba Cappellieri, head of jewelry at Politecnico di Milano and the scientific coordinator of the award.
The four shortlisted finalists of the Kering Generation Award x Jewelry will present their projects to a jury in July during Haute Couture Week in Paris.
Two winners will be chosen, one student and one startup.
The student winner will be offered an internship opportunity with one of Kering’s jewelry brands.
The startup winner will be awarded mentorship from Poli.Design at Politecnico di Milano.
Applications will be accepted through April 15.
For more information and to apply, visit Poli.Design’s website.
“The success of the inaugural Kering Generation Award x Jewelry showed us just how many emerging leaders are eager to drive change and redefine sustainable jewelry,” said Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer at Kering.
“At Kering, we believe that fostering ideas at the intersection of craftsmanship, technology, and environmental responsibility is not just important—it is essential.”
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